The concept of scrapers and more specifically, paint scrapers is old in the art. In general paint scrapers have a handle with a blade that is held in pressure contact with a surface from which paint is to be removed. Typically, the blade extends at about 90 degrees to the surface to be scraped and a user pulls and pushes the blade over the painted surface to remove the paint.
One of the problems with paint scrapers is that, in order for the paint scraper to be effective, the user must continually apply pressure to the paint scraper as the paint scraper is pushed or pulled across the painted surface. If the surface to be scraped is large the muscles in a persons hand and wrist quickly become fatigued and cramped due to the need to continually apply pressure to the scraper while pushing and pulling on the scraper. One of the methods of reducing the pressure on a user's hand or wrist is to use a forearm support in conjunction with a scraper.
One such forearm support is shown in the asbestos scraper shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,846 which shows an extension bracket with an annular arm ring for extending around the user's arm. This device, while providing substantial engagement with the user's forearm, utilizes a hand grip that is parallel to the blade of the scraper and perpendicular to the central shaft of the scraper. Unfortunately, the construction of the forearm support and the hand grip shown in the patent makes it both awkward and difficult to apply pressure to the blade other than in an axial direction along the shaft of the scraper. The orientation of the blade at an angle substantially parallel to the plane of the user's arm makes it suitable for removing asbestos by a pushing action but not by a pulling action.
Still another similar forearm support for an ice scraper is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 4,962,561. The ice scraper is used for removing ice from the windshield of an automobile. In this case, fatigue is typically not a problem because windshield ice can be removed in a few seconds. The ice scraper has a forearm support having a looped section that extends outward from the scraper and gradually curves upward to form a loop around the user's forearm. While this type of forearm support allows one to apply pressure with the forearm, it is not suitable for use over an extended period of time as the combination of the hand grasping area and looped section causes fatigue and cramping of the muscles in the user's arm.
The present invention addresses the problems of needing to apply pressure on a paint scraper for an extended period of time without fatiguing the user's arm. The forearm support of the present invention permits the user to apply pressure to the paint scraper blade even if the surface to be scraped is located at an odd angle to the user's body. Also by utilizing a scraper with a cylindrical handle that extends substantially perpendicular to the blade of the paint scraper in conjunction with the forearm support of the present invention, one can apply pressure for an extended period of time without fatiguing the arm. The present invention includes an arm cradle that engages an extended portion of the user's forearm to minimize pressure spots on the user's forearm. In addition, the cylindrical handle and the forearm support coact to allow the user to periodically reposition his or her hand and forearm during the scraping operation to further eliminate muscle fatigue and cramps due to extended paint scraping operations.